But the barber who gave Tester his first buzz cut wasn’t just the mayor of the small town in which the first-term senator grew up — he also is the father of the band’s bassist, Jeff Ament.

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The Democrat now is cashing in on his 37-year friendship with Ament. The two headlined a raucous rally here Sunday of some 500 cheering Pearl Jam fans and Tester supporters on the University of Montana campus, followed by a fundraiser with the rockers. The day wrapped up with a special treat for the band’s legion of fans: Its lone U.S. concert this year not affiliated with a music festival.

“It’s an important election for a lot of reasons,” Tester said to ebullient supporters gathering near the Grizzly Statue in the heart of campus on a warm fall afternoon.

“Women being able to make their own health-care decisions; standing here on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, things like Pell Grants are pretty important, don’t you think? And the fact that we need to keep those interests on those loans down is very, very important, absolutely.”

Tester ended his riff with an attack on the Patriot Act, saying, “Being Montanans and being the way we are, we think liberty is pretty important too.”

For Tester to replicate his narrowly won victory over incumbent GOP Sen. Conrad Burns six years ago, a big turnout among college students here in this town will be crucial. The first-term senator is locked in a neck-and-neck reelection battle with GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg in a race that could determine control of the Senate.

Republicans, seeking their own mileage out of the day’s events, tried to portray Tester as far more concerned with a rock concert than with the nation’s problems. Indeed, Republican trackers sent to monitor the Tester rally circulated a video Sunday night claiming the senator’s supporters acted roughly towards one of their trackers who was questioning the senator about Pearl Jam’s appearance.

Still, the idea of the Pearl Jam appearance, officials say, is to generate enthusiasm and register this younger bloc of voters who tend to lean Democratic but don’t always show up at the polls. And the band’s show certainly brought out fans from all over: The Adams Center, the campus venue that typically holds some 5,800 fans for concerts, sold out in about 15 minutes for Pearl Jam’s final scheduled performance of the year Sunday night.

“I can’t tell you how important it is to vote,” Ament said, referring to Tester’s razor-thin 2006 win. “I think that particular campaign really made me realize how empowering it is to vote and what a difference one person can make.”